LACEY LOWDOWN

Rangitoto College entertained Auckland Girls Grammar School on Monday night in a game brought forward from the first week of next term.

A change of date or not it didn’t make any difference to Auckland’s run of success as they racked up their eleventh consecutive victory of the season winning 88-52.

Bella Elgar and Hannah Wentworth scored all of Rangitoto’s points in the opening quarter but with each of their starters featuring on the scoresheet Grammar headed into the first break with a 25-14 lead.

Rangi had the better of the second period – Elgar and Gracie Hasler-Ewins to the fore – as they closed to 35-30 at half-time.

Zhanay Hettig, on her way to a season best 31 points, was instrumental in Grammar reasserting their superiority in the third quarter. She had a dozen points in the period and Elianna Tuaiti half that as the defending champions moved out to 59-40 at the three-quarter time.

Hettig carried on her merry scoring way in the fourth and aided by Heeni Blakey and Mele Latu, recently named in the Junior Tall Ferns extended squad, Grammar had little trouble keeping their unbeaten record intact. For Rangitoto a string of wins are essential as they now find themselves two wins behind fourth placed Massey High having played a game more, with a top four play-off berth hanging in the balance.

All teams now have a break before competition resumes after the school holidays on July 27^th.

Rangitoto 52 – H Wentworth 14, I Elgar 13, G Hasler-Ewins 10

AGGS 88 – Z Hettig 31, E Tuaiti 16, H Blakey 12, M Latu 11, L Tuaiti 10

Premier Standings

11-0 AGGS

8-2 MAGS

7-3 Westlake

6-4 Massey

4-7 Rangitoto

2-8 Carmel, St Mary’s

1-9 St Kentigern

Last Friday in the tenth round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier Girl’s competition the top four teams were matched against the bottom four and the results were predictable – wins for Westlake Girls, Massey High, Mt Albert Grammar and Auckland Girls Grammar.

Massey High had little trouble disposing of Carmel College winning 97-46.

The game did throw up a slightly odd statistic as Carmel guard Tayla Dalton scored all her team’s points in both the opening and third quarters.

She scored nine points in the opener although Shauna Povey matched that, as Massey burst out to a 25-9 lead.

Forward Qaizden Stephano, on her way to a season best 14 points, scored ten of those in the second frame but threes from Yzabelle Tevao and Povey helped Massey to a 46-25 half-time lead.

Dalton’s eleven points in the third counted for little as Massey piled on another twenty eight points – Ramona Fuiavaa and Terina Aratangi joined Povey and Tevao in double figures.

Alyesha Schuster also moved into double-digit points as Massey bossed proceedings from start to finish.

Massey 97 – S Povey 22, Y Tevao 19, A Schuster 13, R Fuiavaa 12, T Aratangi 11

Carmel 46 – T Dalton 21, Q Stephano 14, E Davidson 6

Mt Albert Grammar were also comfortable winners. A couple of triples from Moanekah Va’ai and a dozen points from Sharne Pupuke-Robati propelled Mt Albert to a 25-11 opening quarter lead against Rangitoto College.

More threes from Tessa Talo-Tomokino and Jada Manase (she totaled five in the game) extended the MAGS lead to 50-19 at the break.

Hannah Wentworth twice converted from beyond the arc either side of half-time and Bella Elgar chipped in with useful points for Rangitoto but MAGS were out of sight at half-time leading 64-30 and a couple of competition points safely in the bag.

Mt Albert 88 – S Pupuke-Robati 26, J Manase 17, M Va’ai 11, T Talo-Tomokino 10, R Fiatau 10

Rangitoto 48 – H Wentworth 16, I Elgar 11, M Spooner 5

A less than full strength St Kentigern side were overwhelmed at Westlake Girls going down 123-38.

Westlake opened up a 30-14 first quarter lead and cruised thereafter as Emme Shearer, Jordyn Maddix and Jess Moors each collected twenty-point hauls.

Renee Flay scored in double figures for St Kent’s in response.

Westlake 123– J Moors 28, E Shearer 24, J Maddix 21, M Davidson 12

St Kentigern 38 – R Flay 11, G Umaga 8, C Griffiths 8

The closest contest of the round saw Auckland Girls Grammar beat St Mary’s College 85-63. It was a game in which Elianna Tuaiti, often the provider, turned scorer as she amassed a season high 28 points.

St Mary’s made a decent start trailing by just a single point (16-15) at the quarter mark.

Tuaiti scored nine points in the second as AGGS took control to lead 46-30 at half-time – Riana Matiseni scored 11 first half points for St Mary’s.

Safena Te Nana-Williams and Zaaliyah Kailahi-Fulu added to St Mary’s tally but it wasn’t enough to challenge the defending champions. Tuaiti scored another dozen points in the third and with Mele Latu and Heeni Blakey providing assistance AGGS eased to their tenth win of the season.

AGGS 85 – E Tuaiti 28, M Latu 13, H Blakey 12, Z Hettig 11

St Mary’s 63 – R Matiseni 17, Z Kailahi-Fulu 13, S Te Nana-Williams 11

Premier Standings

10-0 AGGS

8-2 MAGS

7-3 Westlake

6-4 Massey

4-6 Rangitoto

2-8 Carmel, St Mary’s

1-9 St Kentigern

Senior A Girls

Mt Roskill 59 Epsom 68

Orewa 54 Botany Downs 53

Avondale 58 Birkenhead 88

Diocesan 30 Pakuranga 70

Senior A Standings

10-0 Epsom

7-3 Mt Roskill, Botany Downs

6-4 Birkenhead

4-6 Orewa, Pakuranga

2-8 Avondale

0-10 Diocesan

There were wins for Auckland Boys Grammar, Rosmini College and Mt Albert Grammar in the tenth round of the Auckland Secondary Schools Premier Grade.

Mt Albert continued its good run of form with a hard fought 62-57 home win against Rangitoto College.

An eighth straight win looked as if it would be a formality when MAGS led 37-23 at half time but Ethan Mandeno and Logan McIntosh led a strong Rangitoto second half effort.

McIntosh scored 15 of his team high 19 points after the interval as the Rangitoto deficit was reduced to ten points (49-39) at three-quarter time.

Mandeno chipped in with nine points in the half but Chayse Pinono and Clarke Aiono helped the hosts limp over the line but it wasn’t the most convincing of Mt Albert performances.

Early on, threes from Pinono and Sataan Tawera helped the hosts to an 18-11 first quarter lead.

The pair combined for 15 second quarter points as MAGS, despite the efforts of Obadaiah Paea and Hanseul Nam, improved their advantage in the second period.

Rangi clawed their way back into the contest in the second half but it wasn’t enough to thwart the efforts of the 9-1 league leaders.

MAGS 62 – C Pinono 19, S Tawera 13, N Wilson 9, C Aiono 6

Rangitoto 57 – L McIntosh 19, E Mandeno 15, E Skelton 9

Rosmini also boast a 9-1 record entering the school holiday break after recording a very comfortable 114-63 win at Avondale College.

Avondale had no answer to Rosmini’s pressure defence coughing up a number of turnovers as they fell behind 36-15 in the first ten minutes -Sean Murphy and Terence Abdon into double figures in that time.

Threes from Murphy, Jayden Boucher and Taine Murray, who scored a season best 27 points, stretched the visitors lead to 52-24 at half-time.

Jack Childs and Jaga Mete moved the score along for Avondale in the third but Rosmini, courtesy of Tyler Martin and Joseph Hylton, quickened the pace further- 89-39 ahead with a quarter to play.

Preston Karatau finished with a flurry of points for Avondale but his team were no match for the reigning Schick National Champions.

Avondale 63 – J Mete 17, J Childs 15, P Karatau 13, A Donaldson 8

Rosmini 114 – T Murray 27, S Murphy 18, T Martin 14, T Abdon 13, J Hylton 11

Phoenix Leupolu got St Peter’s College off to a terrific start at Auckland Grammar draining 16 first quarter points as his team flew out to a 27-21 lead.

Ilaisa Tela (14 first half points) and Teancum McCarthy reeled in the visitors, St Peter’s falling behind 50-46 at half-time despite the continued efforts of Leupolu.

Isaiah Franklin made a couple of baskets but St Peter’s slipped further behind in the third frame – Stefan Bigio and Connor Ngan converting from the charity stripe at the end of the period to give Grammar a ten points buffer (73-63).

Leupolu chalked up a season best 29 points but the combined 50 points from Tela and McCarthy proved too much for St Peter’s – Grammar third on the ladder with six wins.

Auckland Grammar 88 – I Tela 27, T McCarthy 23, L Haku 12, C Ngan 11

St Peter’s 77 – P Leupolu 29, W Parata 17, J Errey 12, I Franklin 11

The St Kentigern College v Westlake Boys fixture will be played after the school holidays.

Premier Standings

9-1 Mt Albert, Rosmini

6-4 Auckland Grammar

5-4 Westlake

4-4 St Kentigern

3-7 St Peter’s

2-8 Rangitoto

0-9 Avondale

Senior A Results

Northcote 107 Macleans 101

Massey 95 Birkenhead 90